Daily Archives: February 15, 2017

Sailing the high seas: Top cruises for first-timers, families and excursions in 2017

The Disney Dream cemented its reputation as the gold standard in cruising, taking the title of best overall large ship for the third year in a row. AFP pixLOS ANGELES, Feb 16 Disney, Viking and Celebrity cruise ships have emerged the top-rated brands by cruisers around the world.

If you're thinking about sailing the high seas for your big vacation this year, consider checking out the results of the latest Cruisers' Choice Awards, which collected ratings and reviews from cruisers over the last 12 months.

In the seventh edition, a trio of cruise brands emerged the big winners along different categories, including large, mid-size, small-mid, and small ship class.

The Disney Dream cemented its reputation as the gold standard in cruising, taking the title of best overall large ship for the third year in a row.

The ship was also named best for cabins, service, public rooms and shore excursions.

The Disney Magic took the title of best overall ship in the mid-size category and was also named the best cruise ship for families.

Cruisers without small children and first-time cruisers, meanwhile, may want to check out the Viking Star, which was named the best ship for first-timers.

Unlike larger ships, the Viking Star is destination-focused, with port-intensive itineraries and longer than average calls that frequently drop anchor overnight, reads a staff review.

That also means fewer onboard amenities like casinos, organized activities and entertainment. The minimum age to sail is 16. A Nordic spa, however, is available and features a thalassotherapy pool, steam room, hot tub, sauna, and snow grotto.

The Viking Star is destination-focused, with port-intensive itineraries and longer than average calls that frequently drop anchor overnight.The ship also won titles like best value, dining and cabins in the small-mid category.

The Celebrity Xpedition also won six awards in its class (small ship), including best overall, best value and shore excursions.

The awards are based on reviews submitted for cruises taken in 2016. Cruise Critic is the leading online cruise community with more than 160,000 reviews.

Here are some of the winners:

Best Cruise Overall

Disney Dream (Large) Disney Cruise Line

Disney Magic (Mid-Size) Disney Cruise Line

Viking Sea (Small-Mid) Viking Ocean Cruises

Celebrity Xpedition (Small) Celebrity Cruises

Best Cruise Ships for Dining

Celebrity Reflection (Large) Celebrity Cruises

Marina (Mid-Size) Oceania Cruises

Viking Star (Small-Mid) Viking Ocean Cruises

Wind Surf (Small) Windstar Cruises

Best Cruise Ships for Entertainment

Allure of the Seas (Large) Royal Caribbean International

Celestyal Crystal (Mid-Size) Celestyal Cruises

Viking Sea (Small-Mid) Viking Ocean Cruises

Silver Shadow (Small) Silversea Cruises

Best Cruise Ships for Service

Disney Dream (Large) Disney Cruise Line

Marina (Mid-Size) Oceania Cruises

Viking Sea (Small-Mid) Viking Ocean Cruises

Paul Gauguin (Small) Paul Gauguin Cruises

Best Cruise Ships for Shore Excursions

Disney Dream (Large) Disney Cruise Line

Celestyal Crystal (Mid-Size) Celestyal Cruises

Viking Sea (Small-Mid) Viking Ocean Cruises

Celebrity Xpedition (Small) Celebrity Cruises

Best Cruise Ships for Value

Norwegian Sky (Large) Norwegian Cruise Line

Celestyal Crystal (Mid-Size) Celestyal Cruises

Viking Star (Small Mid) Viking Ocean Cruises

Celebrity Xpedition (Small) Celebrity Cruises

Best Cruises for Families

Disney Magic Disney Cruise Line

Best for First Timers

Viking Star Viking Ocean Cruises AFP-Relaxnews

Continued here:

Sailing the high seas: Top cruises for first-timers, families and excursions in 2017 - Malay Mail Online

On her left upper arm, Allison Holmes has a tattoo of an octopus with pointy Vulcan ears wrapping its tentacles around a spaceship that resembles an elongated VW camper. The Spocktopus is a tribute to Leonard Nimoy, who played the half-Vulcan, half-human Mr.Spock on the originalStar Trektelevision series. It was inspired by old science fiction posters, says Holmes, 33, of SanAntonio. Holmes is a self-described Trekkie, though that probably goes without saying ifyoure showing off Spock-inspired body art. Especially if youre showing it off in a hot tub aboard theNorwegian Pearlas it sails through the Western Caribbean on the first-everStarTrek: The Cruise.

Joining Holmes in January were Trekkies from as far away as Australia and New Zealand, their suitcases full of costumes and body paint. Shorts and bathing suits were the favored daywear, but at night fans emerged from their cabins dressed as Vulcans, fierce-looking Klingons, antennaed blue Andorians, and green Orions. There were also several reptilian Gorn and YeomanRand look-alikes with beehive hairdos. Didnt get any of these references? Then this cruise was definitely not for you.

Star Trek screening in the central room.

Photographer:Eva OLeary for Bloomberg Businessweek

You might not think of wannabe Klingons as people who leave their parents basements much, let alone as sun-and-fun types. But superfans such as Holmes make up one of the newest and most enthusiastic groups hitting the high seas. Music themes have dominated the industry for years, but cruises are increasingly embracing other forms of pop culture. In addition to theStar Trektrip, fans are filling ships for shows includingThe Walking DeadandProperty Brothers, where the Scott brothers held Q&A sessions about design, signed autographs, and sang karaoke. Oprah is going to attend anO, The Oprah Magazinecruise to Alaska in July, and the publication, with partner Holland America line, is running four additional theme cruises this fall and next year. There is a tremendous sense of camaraderie on these cruises, says Howard Moses, a travel agent who also runs the website Theme Cruise Finder. Its nice to know that people you meet at dinner share yourpassion.

Angela Vaughan (left)

Photographer:Eva OLeary for Bloomberg Businessweek

Its also nice for the cruise lines, which see themed events as a way to draw new clientele. Third-party production companies book entire ships, usually during what would otherwise be cruisings fallow season; fans care more about the what of the experience than the when or where. And theyre willing to spend. The average fare paid by the 2,300passengers on the six-dayStar Trekcruise was $2,400 per person, more than double Norwegian Cruise Lines typical January rate.

Since the first theme cruises set sail about 30years ago, theyve become a bigger and bigger part of the industry. Moses site recorded 150 in 2012. Today there are 600-plus listings. Included are small group gatherings and shipwide takeovers. Music and superfan charters have become such an attractive business that in 2012 Norwegian bought Sixthman, a production company in Atlanta that began staging Festivals at Sea each year; the 2017 lineup includes cruises featuring Pitbull, Kid Rock, Kiss, acts from the Warped Tour, outlaw country musicians, and the funny men of the TruTV showImpractical Jokers. The purpose of a theme cruise is orange juice concentrate, says Michael Lazaroff, executive director of Entertainment Cruise Productions and the mastermind behind theStar Trekvoyage. We are providing fans with a chance to experience their passion in the most intense possible way.

Lazaroff and his team started talking with CBS, owner of theStar Trekfranchise, in the summer of 2015. As it happened, CBS had been looking for ways to celebrate the 50thanniversary of Gene Roddenberrys creation, which went on the air in 1966. We considered developing aStar Trekcruise for fans for some time, and the 50th anniversary seemed ideal, says Veronica Hart, senior vice president for CBSs consumer-products division. She adds that the stars aligned when William Shatner, 85, Captain James T. Kirk in the original series, signed on to host. He wasnt cheap, Lazaroff says.

That September, Lazaroff and his staff headed to the annual LasVegasStar Trekconvention to test fan reaction. The website we had wasnt ready to take reservations, he says. Interest was overwhelming, and his team cobbled together an online sign-up. We just threw it up, and next thing we knewboom!we were done. The cruise sold out in three weeks, although many who booked had never attended aStar Trekconvention, according to a precruise survey. Hart says the experiences arent mutually exclusive: The cruise is a completely unique, immersive experience.

Diane Ahlberg and Sherry Quinn.

Photographer:Eva OLeary for Bloomberg Businessweek

The Pearl was tricked out with references to the showsthe original series,Next Generation,Deep Space Nine,Voyager,Enterprise, andDiscovery, which is set to premiere this Mayand films. Special signage transformed elevators into turbolifts. The ships specialty restaurants incorporated the names of characters into dishes such as Vic Fontaines chateaubriand, which was named forDeep Space Nines holographic lounge singer.

Programming included the Q&As and the autograph and photo sessions youd find at a convention; autographs cost $25 to $35, depending on the actor, and photos were $40. Klingon foreheads ran $45. Shatner, whose contract mandated that he pose for one photo per cabin, joked to the crowd about how cute Chris Pines portrayal of Captain Kirk is in the latestStar Trekmovies, talked physics and global warming, and attempted to answer fans requests for details about his experiences on set.

Debbie Fisher (left) and Stephanie and David Batchelder.

Photographer: Eva OLeary for Bloomberg Businessweek

Passengers could also attend a no-fee yoga class hosted by Terry Farrell, aka Jadzia Dax,Deep Space Nines Starfleet science officer; play blackjack with Marina Sirtis, aka the half-human, half-Betazoid Deanna Troi onNext Generation; and attend a happy hour with Denise Crosby, aka Tasha Yar, briefly theUSS Enterprises chief of security onNext Generation. Special actor-led shore excursions to Cozumel and the Bahamas, which cost $75, up from the normal $50, sold out before the ship set sail. A lecture by theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss, author ofThe Physics of Star Trek(1995), drew a standing-room-only crowd. FormerSaturday Night Livecast member Joe Piscopo, who guest-starred as a comic on an episode ofNext Generation, got multiple standing ovations for a nighttime set.

If thePearlwasnt quite a floatingEnterprisethe crew didnt wear Starfleet uniformsthere were constant references to boldly going and warp speed. The mood was friendly and accepting. Its nice to be among your people, says Holmes of the Spocktopus. You see a lot of cool costumes and a lot of people really, really geeking out. Her parents were also on board, and she and her husband, Allen, 33, have already booked a penthouse for the first of two moreStar Trekcruises that will take place next year, both hosted by George Takei, who played Sulu, the helmsman on KirksEnterprise.

Janyce and Mike Wright

Photographer: Eva OLeary for Bloomberg Businessweek

The cruisers knew their stuff. At a trivia contest with Max Grodnchik, who played Rom, a large-eared Ferengi onDeep Space Nine, passengers rushed to call out answers to questions such as In the Enterprise Incident episode, the Romulan commander offers Spock what? (Answer: The Right of Statement.) During a $40pub crawl with Robert OReilly, Gowron fromDeep Space Nine, passengers showed off their Klingon language skills. One man pounded his feet as he sang the words to several Klingon battle songs. OReilly was impressed.

In one session, Rabbi ElizaBeth Beyer, 57, and her husband Tom, 63, of Reno, Nev., renewed their wedding vows at a ceremony officiated byDeep Space Nines Farrell. Married 35years and wearing Starfleet uniforms, they repeated vows written by Jordan Hoffman, host ofEngage: The Official Star Trek Podcast. They referenced phasers and Tribbles and holodecks and, near the end, said, You are the bridge to myEnterprise, you are the captain to my starship.

Inside the ship's elevator.

Photographer:Eva OLeary for Bloomberg Businessweek

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To Boldly Cruise Where No Couple Has Cruised Before - Bloomberg